Victorian Costuming

Category Archives: 1890s swim suit

I really thought more of my costumes got out of the closet this year but I guess not. I think it was because there were no events like the Dicken’s Festival or Coco where multiple costumes get worn. Here are the ones that did get out.

The dummy behind the counter had a similar shirtwaist on as the dummy in front of the counter!

Seven in total. Eight if you count the time I played a hooker at the old jail and stood in my undies for the audience.

I’m hoping, this new year, my costuming buddies and I will make it out to the Dicken’s Festival in Saskatchewan. That will increase the number of dresses that get worn! I also hope that I will have the opportunity to wear the ones that didn’t get used this year. I don’t like the idea of dresses languishing in the closet too long. But perhaps that may encourage me to part with the ones that no longer thrill me. The ones that have flaws that now seem glaringly obvious.

PS. I hope you folks had a good New Year’s celebration and you enjoy this new one. May your troubles be few and your joys be many!

Okay, that title is a bit exaggerated! We had a costume contest for Halloween at work and I won “best individual costume for staff”. Unfortunately everyone thought I was either a baker or Little Bo Peep. But I’m not complaining. It got me a gift card for free food at the cafeteria and another costume got out of the closet.

I had big plans to wear all my dresses this year but that didn’t happen. I blame my new job…not having vacation time, Shirley and I were not able to go to Saskatchewan for the Dickens Festival. That trip alone would have had at least 4 dresses out and about.

But lets see how well I did.

1838-40 Queen V dress. Check. That was worn at the Coco Gala.

1845 Atessa dress was worn for Halloween.

The 1860’s Silky Skies dress got put on for this photo but I can’t figure out where I wore it. I wouldn’t have put all that on for a chance to try on the apron!

Oh, wait! Good ol’ Facebook! According to Facebook I wore Silky Skies to the 7 Oaks Museum. For some reason, those photos didn’t get posted here! I will remedy that next post!

1861 Senora dress was worn to the St Boniface Museum this year.

1872 Basque in Blue was used during Coco’s Steam Punk Tea.

My 1872 Lilac dream was worn to a play (I had almost forgotten about this fun event!)

1873 Purple Polonaise went to Little Britain Church.

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress was used during the Circus themed social at Coco.

The 1882 Tea Gown finally got a real wearing during the Sunday breakfast with the artists at Coco. I still don’t love the gown but I no longer loath it.

My 1890’s swim suit was worn by the pool Friday night at Coco.

My 1895 Summer Ensemble made an appearance at the Steam Punk wedding.

1900 Widows Weeds got worn twice. Once by myself at a celebration and fashion show at work…

…and once by another person at the Vaughn Street Jail event last spring. (Serious nip tucking needed on the dress for this event.)

Four dresses didn’t make the cut this year: 1840’s Copper Penny, 1850’s Tea Dress, 1895 dinner gown, 1895 Walking outfit. It is probably best that I have only one dress on the docket for 2017. If I can’t get them all worn, then I have to slow down production. Or I have to part with some of them (gasp!) Trouble with that is, if I am disenchanted enough to be willing to part with one of my babies, I am disenchanted enough to feel that no one actually would want it! Then factor in size…nah. I’m just going to have to find more times to wear them or set my goal to “wear once every two years”.

I have dozens of photographs from the event that could spawn dozens of posts. I don’t even know what direction this post will take. What I do want you to take away from this is I HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE! The organizers did a great job! I’m sure there were glitches, witches and stitches that did not go to plan and made their work HARD but to the uninitiated, it went smoothly!

I also want to say there was never a moment where I felt lonely or like an outsider. No, I lied! I felt like a small little lonely mouse when I saw how big LA is!

I wanted to shut down. I was feeling trapped and surrounded by cars and concrete!

I was all alone in the big city, not really knowing anyone except for the few familiar faces that following blogs gives you.

But, CoCo folk are good people! When I walked into a room alone, someone would say “Hey, are you waiting for someone or are you here alone?” Once they knew I was alone, they’d invite me to join them. Paige and her mom were the first to do this for me.

One lady, who’s name I have now lost, had sympathy when I said I needed the grocery store but was too chicken to venture out on my own ( I literally only had to cross the street but I was scared to leave the safety of the group.) She took me under her wing and walked over with me. Her kind act meant I would get some fruit into my diet and not spend the weekend with furry legs.

There was always random groups I could join if I weren’t keen on being alone.

The one I used the most was the hospitality suite.

And it was easy to find a way to break the ice…comment on a witty part of someone’s costume. “Fabric Hoarders Unite” was pretty funny!

We had to rent a whole hotel to do that!

Sometimes, someone was dressed just like me!

Will I go again? You bet!

If you see yourself here and don’t want to, or you want more or less information included, please let me know. I check this site twice a day.

My goal this year was to wear every dress I have made. How can I justify making more dresses if I can’t manage to wear the ones I have already? How did I do?

1838- 40 Green Queen V dress

I wore my Green Queen dress to the Dickens Festival.

1840’s Copper Penny dress.

Also worn at the Dickens Festival.

1850’s Tea Dress

This is what Shirley and I wore the first night at the Dickens Festival. I also wore the 1870’s shawl so kinda two for one.

1860 Silky Skies dress

Dickens again. I got a lot of mileage out of this outing. Two for one again as I wore the 1871 mantle with it.

1860 Sontag. There is a miss there. I wanted to wear it with the dress above but it was too big. But strictly speaking it isn’t a dress so we wont count it against my goal.

1870-90 Pineapple Shawl. I still don’t have anything to wear that with so another miss, but again, it isn’t a dress so that doesn’t count.

1872 Basque in blue.

I wore this to our Halloween event. I also wore my 1871 Mantle with this so it got used twice this year (after lounging in my closet for a couple of years!)

1872 Lilac Dream

All aboard! The Prairie Dog train ride.

1873 Polonaise

First outing with our tiny group’s newest member Lottie

1880’s Half Grand Surprise Dress-Doh! This is a definite miss! I did have plans to wear it but an event or two got cancelled because of weather and this is one of the dresses that didn’t make the cut. It has gotten a lot of wear other years.

1880’s travel outfit-dang! Another one that got missed. Also due to weather.

1882 Tea Gown (aka Ugly Bag of Tea Gown). First time ever. That is a win right?

Me in my Tea Gown reading how to be a Victorian. It got worn but didn’t see the light of day or other humans other than Shirley.

1890’s swim suit

Halloween costume for work.

1895 dinner gown

Out for dinner.

1895 Summer Ensemble

To my favorite house museum

1895 walking outfit

Again, at my favorite house museum.

1900 Widows Weeds

At the old jail.

So not too bad. Two dresses that got a lot of wear in years past, didn’t get worn because of cancelled events. I think I can justify making two more…

The plan is one like this black one.

The black will be done in reds and the blue will be cream and black. I want to use my vintage treadle machine for this one. The challenge will be to use as many of the attachments as possible.

And the paisley material I bought at the Dickens Festival will become something like this…I hope to make more accessories as well and I hope they will get some use! I also hope to wear the two dresses I didn’t get to wear this year…we have to keep it fair after all.

I’m always a bit slow to get on board with new trends. When answering machines came in, I hated them. When cell phones came in, I couldn’t understand why people couldn’t just make their phone calls before leaving home. I finally got a flip phone when my Dad got sick and I needed to be easily reached. I hated texting on the thing because you had to hit the number buttons various times while it scrolled through the alphabet. It would take a half hour to write a message. Unfortunately, it was the only way my teens would communicate with me. You can text your mother discretely but you can’t phone her without all your pals knowing.

I finally retired my flip phone last summer (yes it is true, I had a flip phone until last year) and got an iPhone. Well, dang it all! I now get what all the fuss is about. I’m never far from that thing! It is for that very reason, I don’t have a data plan and rely on wifi hot spots. If I had a data plan I’d be surgically attached!

One thing I like is the apps. Especially the free ones. I’m all about the cheap thrills! My latest fun thing is Photo Lab. Oooo the great “WORKS OF ART” I have been creating. How about me as an oil painting…

Or me in my husbands pocket watch.

I can’t remember what this one is called but it is pretty cool too.

My favorite is the sketch look. I did several of these.

Shirley and I at the train station was followed by me on the beach.

I think the beach one looks most realistic. The next one could be a future tattoo…

Awe! What is your favorite app? Would you give up your phone and computer if you could go back to the good old days?